Results of third quarter contributions from specialty license plate sales to the non-profit Friends of the Smokies have been announced by the State of Tennessee, and the good news couldn't have come at a better time. Revenue for organizations that assist the park was impacted by the recent government shutdown, so rising sales from vehicle tags will help with lost retail sales.

The first couple of days after Great Smoky Mountains National Park reopened were remarkably normal. Visitors were so happy to get back to the bookstores and the trails.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park to open Wednesday, citations issued at Olympic National Park, and a call for states to share in national park management are among the issues floating around the National Park System during the ongoing government shutdown.

Among the many casualties of the government shutdown are some of the popular webcam views of locations around the National Park System, since NPS and some other government web services have been disabled for the duration of the dispute. If you enjoy the ability to check in on favorite park locations via those cameras, all is not lost, however, and we'll provide some tips about park webcam views provided by non-government sources.